Adolescent Pregnancy: A Challenge for Counselors

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy has medical, psychological, sociological and educational repercussions. While struggling with the developmental tasks of becoming an adult, the adolescent is suddenly thrust into an emotional upheaval with major decisions to be made but with few defined support systems. This article pre-surveys the current literature on adolescent pregnancy and attempts to define a comprehensive role for the counselor from the confirmation of pregnancy to postpartum. The counselor's objective is to assist the adolescent in developing adaptive mechanisms for dealing with adolescence and pregnancy and to integrate the two conditions into a growth-producing situation.

Self‐Concept of Pregnant Adolescents: A Case Study

“…Several factors have been cited as relevant to this increase in adolescent pregnancy, stated by Foster and Miller (1980) as:…”

Prenatal Peer Counseling: An Answer to the Persistent Difficulties with Prenatal Care for Low‐Income Women

“…The helper listens nonjudgmentally and encourages the student client to express and explore his or her feelings, worries, and frustrations. Nowadays, this type of counseling is used with different groups and ages in the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse (Samuels & Samuels, 1975), stress management (Walley, 1980), teenage pregnancy (Foster & Miller, 1980), problems of loneliness (Carr & Saunders, 1980), and friendship conflicts (Varenhorst, 1978). Recently, positive outcomes of a peer education program on heart disease prevention in older adults were published (Rose, 1992).…”

Adolescent Pregnancy: A Model for Intervention

“…In general, the foregoing data convey the magnitude of the problem relating to teenage pregnancy. Although the adolescent mother and her infant have been shown to be at risk, it is clear that some of the major problems confronting the parent may be mitigated through good prenatal care and a supportive environment (Foster & Miller, 1980). The Mayo Adolescent Parents' Program (MAPP) consists of three major components-the adolescent maternity program, adolescent parents' guidance clinic, and the infant of the adolescent mother clinic.…”